Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Stephen
Hadley announced today the appointment of Elliott Abrams as Deputy
Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for
Global Democracy Strategy, and that Faryar Shirzad will continue to
serve in an expanded role as Deputy Assistant to the President and
Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs.

In his capacity as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy
National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy, Mr. Abrams
will assist Mr. Hadley in work on the promotion of democracy and human
rights, and will provide oversight to the NSC's directorate of
Democracy, Human Rights, and International Organization Affairs and its
directorate of Near East and North African Affairs. Working with
Secretary Rice and Mr. Hadley, he will maintain his involvement in
Israeli/Palestinian affairs.

Elliott Abrams has served as Special Assistant to the President and
Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs since December
2002. Prior to holding that position, he was Special Assistant to the
President and Senior Director for Democracy, Human Rights and
International Operations. He was a member and then Chairman of the
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 1999 to 2001,
and President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center from 1996 to
2001. Mr. Abrams served as an Assistant Secretary of State during the
Reagan Administration from 1981 to 1989. Mr. Abrams received his
bachelor's degree from Harvard, earned a master's in International
Relations from the London School of Economics, and received his J.D.
from Harvard Law School.

In his capacity as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy
National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, Mr.
Shirzad will expand his role to include focus on humanitarian affairs,
stabilization, and reconstruction efforts.

Faryar Shirzad was previously Special Assistant to the President
and Senior Director for International Economic Affairs at the National
Security Council. Prior to joining the NSC staff, Mr. Shirzad served as
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration at the Department of
Commerce from 2001 to 2003. Before that, Mr. Shirzad was the Lead
International Trade Policy Coordinator for the Bush-Cheney Transition
Team. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Shirzad served as the International Trade
Counsel on the Majority Staff of the Senate Finance Committee. Prior to
his government service, Mr. Shirzad was an attorney in private
practice, specializing in international trade. Mr. Shirzad earned his
law degree from the University of Virginia; a Master's in Public
Policy, with a concentration in international trade and finance, from
the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; and a
B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland.